The last rays of sunshine were getting past the window, when the female squirrel started tossing in the hotel bed, turning her towards the window, and painfully opening one eye. She was embracing the idea of sleeping the thundering pain behind her forehead, for few more hours, until she'd be ready to do the damage control needed from last night. However, it wasn't long before realizing that it ain't the morning, as she initially thought. She slept through the whole day, and reluctantly she come to terms that burning probably the last hour of daylight in a bed likely won't do any difference.
Sandy winced her eyes while propping herself up, trying to sit on the bed. The sudden move was accompanied by a pinching pain, caused by a bed sheet un-glueing from her lower body, stripping a few pubic hairs in the process. She looked down to notice it wasn't just sheets that were stained with dried-up stains, making her face cringe in a blend of disgust and more pronounced headache. Taking a shower was the first thing she wanted to do, and she hesitated for a second, trying to figure out where her brother was. The momentary feel of shyness faded-out with the full recollection as to what she'd done the night before. It was definitely the worst decision of her life, and no justification could excuse the utter lack of judgement, irresponsible behavior starting from drinking, all the way to an unprotected sex with a stranger.
Now it was the embarrassment, that overtook her, for the decisions and she knew well there would be consequences. Randy wasn't in the room, and it would be for the best if she could approach him clean... at least from the outside. The warm shower washed away the feeling of filth, and after putting-on the last set of clean clothes, she noticed something that eluded her attention until now. It wasn't just Randy that was missing. His belongings were gone, too.
Despite the warm air in the room, she started shivering, suddenly realizing that her brother left. Sandy decided to grasp the straw, desperately trying to find her cellphone as fast as she could, going through the discarded stuff on the floor. After the painfully long moment of startup, she didn't bother to look at many saved messages, and went straight to call the number of her brother. Her desperate attempt to reach out to him did not materialize, when the call went straight to voice mail. Even after second attempt she refused to admit that she won't have the chance to apologize the easy way. The feeling of helpless and frustration was overwhelming, as her mind tried to figure out a way of how to save herself from the damnation, she wrought herself in.
As she was readying to go and ask the reception about his whereabouts, she noticed a piece of paper, placed next to the bottle. With each word that was read, the squirrel's brown eyes started to fill with tears, and even she rubbed the tears in her sleeve, the rest was harder and harder to read. And on the other side she noticed the picture. It was a sketch of her, sleeping underneath the blanket, made by her only brother. The gaping darkness in her mind was devouring her as she started sobbing. She horrendously wronged him- all the anger that made her do unspeakable thing just to hurt him for something he wasn't guilty of.
The thought of losing her brother was carving her heart out. She's gotta find him, even though she had no inkling where to look, but she had to try. She HAD to. In a blink of a moment Sandy with watering eyes grabbed her purse and dashed into the hallway, slamming the room door behind her, racing for elevator. Moments after she reached the ground floor, she ran into another person she wasn't even remotely ready to address.
She could read in his face the notable confusion and shock after looking at her face. Although she wanted to have an eye-to-eye discussion with this tall Puma guy later, the priority was to pry any information related to her brother. "When did my brother leave the hotel !?"-asked the short female squirrel with sore eyes, expecting immediate response.
"Hi Sandy. I'm not sure. I hadn't noticed him leaving"- the hotelier cleared his throat, while studying the face of the squirrel before him. "I assume he likely left before I got here." -He became more nervous, changing his posture before continuing a conversation with notably quieter tone. "Ehm -about last night... Sandy- can we talk privately about..."
The sentence went unfinished as he noticed her pacing towards the exit, paying no attention to him. "Not now, Alan!"-Sandy replied when she went past entrance door, not wasting a second looking back. The Hotelier was standing in a hallway, caught by surprise by the inability to have the discussion he was hoping for... Whatever happened between these two rodent siblings, culminated last night. Ever since Alan got up, all he could think about was the brown squirrel. No doubt there was an infatuation and the building fondness, shifting focus from his daily routine towards this unpredictable woman.
Despite the unshakable feeling that the whole one-night stand was likely insignificant for Sandy, Alan wished there was something that could restore certain normalcy, maybe even slight possibility for a continuance. He wanted to help her, and help himself too, but he was on the clock. After a moment of nervous hesitation, he hastily browsed the call list on the reception phone. With a post-it sticker his hand, Alan pulled his cellphone and texted the Hotel manager, letting him know he's off-duty (sick day?). As his car reluctantly sprung to life, Alan with one hand on the steering wheel called the number scribbled on a piece of paper, now glued on a scuffed dashboard. "Listen-Sandy- don't hang up-"-he spoke loudly as he was leaving the parking garage ramp "-Let me help- I think- He might have went to Space needle... I'm gonna pick you up ". The beat-up car with grotesquely tall driver moved through two lanes of intersection just to position for right turn.
